This blog is interesting for Brand managers and Marketing managers. It shows you how games can help to achieve marketing objectives and includes postings about digital interactive branding, like branded utilities and social media for organizations & brands. Check out www.brandnewgame.nl for more information what digital interactive concepts can do for your brand.
Or visit www.brandnewplayground.com for more information about my book!

The video game industry in the U.S. and on a global scale has seen tremendous growth in the last several years. Not only have new players joined our ranks thanks in part to Nintendo and the Wii, but older gamers who have been playing since childhood continue to purchase and play games.

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) has released its 2009 Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry and found that "consumer turnover in the video game market is exceedingly low. Older gamers continue to be engaged by video games, rather than dropping out and being replaced by a new generation. Once a consumer decides to play video games, they continue to play for life – adding to the growing number of gamers worldwide."

EMA said that 68% of all American households are now playing video games. Total industry sales jumped 19% to almost $23 billion in 2008, and if consumers aren't buying video game software or hardware, then they're renting. Video game rentals for 2008 totaled $541 million, which was up eight percent over 2007.

By comparison, rentals and purchases combined of DVD and Blu-ray discs totaled just $22.4 billion last year. DVD and Blu-ray sales totaled $14.9 billion (down 8%) while rentals remained flat at $7.5 billion. It's clear that video games are driving home entertainment.

Other tidbits worth noting from the report include the growth of Blu-ray and digital downloads. Blu-ray discs accounted for 3% of consumer disc spending in 2008 ($750 million, up from $170 million) and are projected to reach half of consumer disc spending by 2013. Meanwhile, consumer spending on Internet downloads jumped 15% to total $141.8 million last year, and online subscription rental services (like Netflix) are now 25% of the market. EMA noted, however, that "the rental market continues to be dominated by traditional brick-and-mortar rental stores, which had 69% of the rental market in 2008."

Friday, July 24, 2009

It's an interactive 3D-feel film where you can stop to get in-depth information.

Philips makes it possible to watch multiple online channels already. Will this soon integrate gaming & TV? Or will the first step be 'interactive television' as in being able to watch Youtube and Internet on your television...?

1. Ask yourself the “why” question. Why are you choosing games as a medium for your message? Is it to reach an otherwise elusive audience? Is it to demonstrate your product to a small but influential group of trend-setters?

2. Set clear and measurable objectives. Games are among the most measurable media where you can track everything from detailed exposure to the otherwise elusive “engagement.” Tying the metrics to sales will require innovative thinking but is not impossible.

3. Treat in-game advertising as R&D investment, not marketing expense. Online commerce has changed a lot during the decade since the first web shop was opened by Pizza Hut in mid-1990s. It will continue to evolve and game-like 3D environments are one possible direction the evolution may take. Acquire the basic skills now to stay ahead of the game, so to speak, tomorrow.

4. Play. Games have changed a lot since you last played your Nintendo in high-school (or ColecoVision, for that matter). Familiarize yourself with the mechanics, the jargon and, in case of multi-player games, the etiquette. Play at least one game to the end even if it will take you 20 hours. The downside: you will die a lot. The upside: you can mark it as research. Treat an in-game campaign as a foray into a foreign country where you have to learn a new language, socially-accepted behavior and fashion sense.

5. “Whatever you do, don’t step off the trail.” In Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”, the participants in Time Safari are instructed to keep to a narrow catwalk or risk upsetting the delicate balance of history. To paraphrase, whatever you do, stay in character. If you product doesn’t fit a particular game, turn to another one or try advertising through a proxy -- a fictional brand that resembles the real one closely enough for you to take the credit if things go well and deny involvement if they don’t.

6. Each medium requires its own creative. You wouldn’t play a radio spot on TV. It’s just as ineffective to reuse web banners to advertise in a computer game. Games are a medium with its own set of characteristics and it is in the best interests of advertisers to take full advantage of them.

7. Remember Confucius’s “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand?” The interactive nature of games lets customers “do”.

8. Challenge and surprise. Offer players interesting things to do with your ad unit and let them discover these things themselves. They will spread the knowledge through their communities along with your brand.

9. Don’t twist players’ arms. There have been games that threatened players into passing by a billboard, “or else”. In other words, these games made an interaction with the ad a condition required for progress. Providing extra incentives is ok, but remember that gamers have already paid north of $50 for playing the game they have been expecting, in some cases, for months.

10. Games are inherently “multimedia” and your ads don’t have to be limited to graphic units. The available options range from short secret codes to lavish branded mansions. Take your imagination for a soar (but don’t step off the trail).

11. Integrated marketing is one of those industry buzz-words that actually make sense. If you are targeting gamers through games, complement your efforts through other media they consume. You can also create a “360-degree” brand experience right inside some of the games by designing multiple points of contact – through a fictional magazine, points of purchase, a sound bite. Another useful emerging buzz-word is “transmedia branding” meaning that each participating medium tells only one part of the brand narrative. Don’t repeat within the game what you are already saying on the campaign website; instead, develop the story further through new elements, characters or dramatic twists. Besides, creating a strong bridge between the virtual and the real gives an eerie Matrix-like feeling.

12. Provide the right tools and the right incentives and enjoy the bliss of consumer-generated content. Game makers have enjoyed creative player participation for a long time and have learnt that letting players tinker with the product contributes to the bottom line in more ways than one. Make spare parts available and see how players re-assemble your brand in unexpected but exciting ways. Bonus: player tinkering provides invaluable (and measurable) insights into consumers’ perception of your brand.

13. Be prepared for a strong word-of-mouth effect, even more so in the multi-player environments were inter-player communications are in real time. Your successes and failures alike will be amplified on player forums or virtual water coolers (or dragon caves, as the case may be). Where there is a community, there is a need for a community manager who would follow the conversations and address player concerns on the fly.

14. Be prepared for graphic manifestations of player discontent. If things go wrong, expect sit-ins, demonstrations and defacing. The fact that all those forms of civil disobedience take place in a virtual world makes the challenge a double-edged sword. On the one hand, “it’s just a game”. On the other, there is no police to disperse the angry crowds. And whatever happens, don’t step off the trail. If you have to deal with player resentment, do it in-character. Don’t have the game administrators ban the offenders from the game. Instead, ask them to summon a fire-breathing dragon to protect your property.

15. To quote a Second Life resident Prokofy Neva, a branded t-shirt you give away in the game may be worn forever because it needs no washing.

16. If you are advertising in a virtual world, become its engaged citizen and not a foreign capitalist intruder. Don’t just show up for one-off press events or, worse, not at all. Give your brand a live face, even if it’s a face of a pink orc.

17. Don’t simply mimic the layout of your real-world branded spaces; design your virtual presence in accordance with the world’s physics. Allow for comfortable camera movements so that players don’t hit the wall when they try to take a closer look at your merchandise. If characters can fly, make the ceilings taller and put an entrance on the roof.

18. Deal with the demographic uncertainty. Game audiences vary by genre, size, complexity and even distribution channels. Very few games today can be put in a narrow demographic bucket as they are often played by groups that extend beyond the original customer. Be prepared to have your ad unit seen by someone on the opposite end from your intended target.

19. Learn from the mistakes of others. If you are yet to plunge into in-game advertising, you have the advantage of knowing what has worked for the pioneers. Often, the arrival of a new medium prompts similar advertising solutions.

2g@tthere Dutch Games go GlobalMajor Participation of the Dutch Gaming Industry at the GDC – The Worlds MainMeeting Point for the Gaming Industry.Dutch Game Developers have become Masters in building International Illustrious Games. On account of Continuing Growth the Dutch Government has Anchored a three year commitment supporting International Expansion and Profiling the Dutch Gaming Industry. "2g@tthere" Dutch Games Go Global” is a Collaboration of the Dutch Government, various Industry Representatives, Regional and National Governments, Knowledge Institutes and the Industry. "2g@tthere" Dutch Games Go Global” will make its first international appearance with the Holland Pavilion at the GDC 2009 in San Francisco.

Gaming: Alive and prosperous in HollandAs a Small and Enterprising Country Holland has always been very Internationally Oriented. Dutch Game Industry has profiled itself Globally and Prominently in the Last Decade. Dutch Game Developers have proved themselves to be Top Players in the Gaming Industry.

Dutch Industry FactsEven the Dutch themselves are pretty hooked on Playing: 72% of the Dutch population spend 4.9 hours per week playing games. The Dutch Gaming Industry has a Growth Rate that is 50% higher than any other Industry in Holland. Approximately 250 Organizations and 2500 Individuals are involved in the Dutch Gaming Industry. The estimated Market Value of the Dutch Gaming Industry will represent 350 Million Euro in 2012The Next Step Since the GDC is the Main Meeting Point of International Game Developers, Partners and Publishers, the Representation of the Dutch Gaming Industry at The GDC 2009 is a Solid Sequel in their Ambition to Conquer the Gaming Industry.

Funny to see a review of 5 minutes about a pair of Headphones! What made me post this message is the fact that they're called Creative Labs Fatal1ty headphones. Fatal1ty is propably the first game celebrity in the world, active since 1995 as a professional gamer, mostly on first person shooters. After 15 years of professional gaming and sponsorships he's got his own endorsed products! ;-) Who ever expected that!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Herewith something I was personally involved in 2 years ago. 55DSL - Diesel's Little Brother, wanted to enhance the worldwide brand awareness and reinforce the young & coolness of the brand so we searched for a suitable party to team up with. EA's Need for Speed seemed just the perfect franchise to mix with 55DSL. Young people like speed, cars and cool dudes & chicks.

55DSL dressed all the main characters in the game and apart from that all the cars could be plastered with 55DSL stickers. Check out the pictures below and if you would like more information, email me at barthufen@brandnewgame.nl

Shared via AddThisThe next Command & Conquer game has been announced using all kinds of social media. They have their own facebook and Twitter page for gamers to follow. Also there is a competition asking consumers to come up with the new title for command & conquer 4. Mine would be: Tiberium Showdown! Let's wait and see what it will be....

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Mindshare Netherlands - Het Wereldwijde Media Netwerk - OLA Waterspelen (Dutch video - sorry). An impressive case by Ola. The waterolympics. Where children could compete in reallife playing various games in and around water to promote the non-fat icecreams by Unilever. Great results as well and great brand engagement if you ask me! I would love to give advice how you can translate this experience into an online portal of minigames inspired by this real life (yearly?) event.

Monday, July 6, 2009

I must say the game looks stunning for an 'online' game, but the controls are a nightmare. I have never played a game that is so far from playable. It's cool that you can choose your own plane, but there are even more chances for physics. The developers should play WipeOut fusion and then go back to the writing table to optimize this game.

Dr.Pepper is about to enter the world of Sims! Following IKEA and H&M, Dr. Pepper will apear in EA's number 1 selling blockbuster franchise The Sims. Recently The Sims also became available on mobile phones. I hope people in the near future will still know the difference between the real and the virtual world... ;-)

GoSupermodel - a social network for girls aged 10-16 grew since 2007 up to an amount of 300.000 young supergirls. The ingame campaign existed of putting a pimple on the avatar of the girls which led to hilarious reactions. Some girls said they even liked the pimple on their avatar, but most of them used the Nivea product to get rid of the pimple. Really a great way of ingame sampling. I didn't even knew it existed and this is why I love what I do: ANYTHING GOES IN THE VIRTUAL GAMING WORLD! As long as it is relevant for the consumer and it fits within the game realism.

Another striking event within the Supermodel Social Network occurred recently when girls got together and stood up against guys (and a Dutch rap group to be specific) cursing using the word cancer (comparable to 'fuck' in English). They recorded a film and uploaded it to YouTube which I felt was tear-jerking. Check it out if you like. Supermodel Girls Against Swearing Although it's in Dutch please watch the film towards the end. The Red Crosses are symbols saying NO to cursing (and using the C-word specifically).